Improving homeschool engagement

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Improving home-school engagement
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The benefits of home-school engagement activities

• Outcomes from this home-school project found
  that
• parents ask informed questions about childrens
  lessons
• teachers understand more about the diverse
  cultural heritage of the children in their
  classes

3
What were effective engagement activities?

• Activities that were particularly useful
  included
• providing parents with videos of lessons
• pupils using digital cameras for learning
• encouraging the use of home languages in the
  school, and
• showcasing pupils work

4
Providing parents with videos of lessons

• Parents felt that the videos
• offered them an opportunity to observe their
  child
• The video was good because I got to see my son
  in class (Mother)
• showed them how the literacy lessons were
  organised
• I think people look at that and think, oh yes, I
  could do that... (Mother)

5
Pupils use of disposable cameras

• Encouraging pupils to take pictures at home
  helped teachers learn more about their pupils
  backgrounds
• (they) gave me an insight into their lives
  outside of school you have pictures showing
  where they are actually using maths at home
  (Teacher).
• Many families referred to the motivating effect
• it got him involved in the whole process.
  (Father)

6
Using home languages

• Teachers supported parents whose first language
  was not English by
• encouraging the use of heritage languages in the
  school
• inviting them to attend meetings, and
• inviting them into their childrens lessons
  supported by an interpreter.

7
Showcasing pupils work

• One school set up a stall in a supermarket
• The stall included photographs of parents and
  children making books together
• The books were displayed with explanations of the
  activities and information for parents

8
Objects photographed by the children

• Pupils took photographs of
• items relating to their class topic - making a
  model vehicle, living things, plants and growth
  and the local environment
• everyday maths activities they took part in at
  home
• other activities they engaged in at home

9
How did teachers encourage to use the images to
extend learning?

• Once pictures had been developed, pupils were
  encouraged to
• work with a parent to select their favourite
  picture for an album or a display
• record in a diary the details of each image taken
• discuss their content in class or small groups,
• write captions for their photos to explain how
  they linked to their learning at school

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Particular issues teachers needed to address

• Teachers encountered particular issues relating
  to
• how to support parents who have little knowledge
  of what to expect in an English classroom
• how to support children who have learned numeracy
  using English, to explain things in their home
  language
• the extent to which children should be seen to be
  struggling and/or making mistakes by an audience
  that extends beyond their families, and
• the extent to which pupils want to expose their
  private home life to the scrutiny of those at
  school

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Who was involved in the project?

• The researchers worked with parents and teachers
  at eight primary schools to find out
• what information and knowledge parents wanted
  from school
• what information and knowledge parents wanted to
  give the school, and
• ways in which this knowledge could be exchanged
• The project had two strands
• supporting literacy learning at Key Stage 1
  (starting in Year 1 age 5-6 yrs)
• supporting numeracy learning at Key Stage 2
  (starting in Year 4 age 8- 9 yrs)

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How was the information gathered?

• The researchers monitored the effect of the
  strategies by regularly interviewing six target
  families from each class

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How might teachers use this evidence?

• Videos of literacy and numeracy lessons helped
  teachers share information about childrens
  learning. Parents felt better able to ask
  questions about their own childs lessons.
• How could you use this strategy? How could
  resources for reproducing DVDs be secured? Or
  could you make time to make screenings available
  at a time convenient to parents?

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How might school leaders use this evidence?

• Some teachers are skilful at integrating
  knowledge from home into their work but the
  amount and detail of the information brought in
  can present a challenge to most teachers in the
  time available to use it
• How can more time be made available for teachers
  to plan to use what children bring to school?
• Can teachers PPA time be extended when they
  engage in these activities?
• Can teacher assistants be used to support the
  work?

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Find out more

• Study reference Feiler, A., Greenbough, P.,
  Winter, J., Salway, L., Scanlan, M. (2006)
  Getting engaged possibilities and problems for
  home-school knowledge exchange in Educational
  Review Vol. 58, (4) 2006, pp.451-469
• You might like to read a longer summary of
  home-school knowledge exchange on the GTC
  website http//www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics
  /rom_teachingandlearning/home_and_school_apr08/

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